HAMPTON, Va. (Aug. 18) Under an unusual set of circumstances, C.E. Falk and Shayne Lockhart divided the victories in the Courtyard by Marriott Twin 75s for the EZ Auto in Newport News Late Model Stock Cars, the featured events of Saturday evening's NASCAR Whelen All-American Series program at Langley Speedway.
C.E. Falk claimed the pole position for the start of the first race, qualifying at 88.942 mph. He shared the front row with his brother, Wes Falk. Woody Howard, making a return to the Late Model ranks, was third-fastest, while points leader Greg Edwards and Lockhart completed the top five on the 19-car grid.
As the opener got under way, C.E. Falk won the drag race into Turn 1 and took the early lead, leaving his brother to tussle with Howard for second. Wes Falk nosed ahead at the end of lap 1 and cleared Howard in Turn 2 on lap 2.
By lap 8, C.E. Falk had pulled away by nearly half a straightaway. That gap vanished on lap 15, though, when Dean Shiflett pounded the outside wall in Turn 4, prompting the first yellow flag.
Lining up for the restart, Edwards and Lockhart pulled up beside C.E. Falk, giving up the fourth and fifth spots in line to try the outside lane.
Back under green, C.E. Falk darted away from the pack. Wes Falk rushed to fill the opening to the inside of Edwards and retained the runner-up spot. Edwards slipped into third, just ahead of Howard. Deeper in the field, Casey Wyatt was on the move, picking off Lockhart to crack the top five.
The last of the race's two caution flags flew on lap 35 when Megan Creech looped her machine in Turn 4. At the time of the spin, Edwards had worked his way underneath Wes Falk and was challenging for second. With Creech blocking the track, though, he quickly pulled back in line.
As the field bunched for the ensuing restart, Edwards again made his way to the top side, joined by Lockhart, Danny Edwards Jr., Terry Carroll, Jeff Shiflett and J.T. Jackson.
As the race resumed, C.E. Falk shot ahead of Greg Edwards at the start/finish line. Wes Falk followed his brother's cue and held onto the second position. A lap later, Howard also scooted by Edwards, taking over third place.
Working lap 40, C.E. Falk enjoyed a three-length advantage over Wes Falk, who held a similar margin over Howard and Edwards.
On lap 43, Edwards poked a fender alongside Howard in Turn 4, initiating a bid for third. The two battled for one circuit with Edwards reclaiming the spot off Turn 4 on lap 44. The shuffle allowed the Falk brothers to extend their lead. Breaking free of Howard, though, Edwards began to narrow the gap.
By lap 50, Edwards had drawn to within a car-length of Wes Falk. While that battle began to take shape, C.E. Falk added a few more car-lengths to his edge.
Over the closing circuits, C.E. Falk continued to pull away, while Wes Falk and Edwards dueled for second.
At the finish, C.E. Falk picked up his eighth Langley win by a whopping 4.573 seconds nearly a full straightaway. Wes Falk was second, holding off Greg Edwards at the line by the length of his hood. Howard and Lockhart tailed the top three to the stripe, in fourth and fifth, respectively.
Wyatt headed up the second five, in sixth, followed by Danny Edwards Jr., who was subbing for Mark Wertz. Dude Gibbs and Jeff Shiflett were eighth and ninth, the final drivers to complete the entire distance, while Terry Carroll rounded out the top 10, a lap in arrears.
The starting lineup for the second 75-lapper mirrored the finishing order of the first one, putting the Falks back on the front row. As the field headed out to begin the parade laps, though, things suddenly took a turn for the weird.
Circulating behind the pace truck, only a couple laps from the green flag, C.E. Falk inexplicably ducked onto the pit lane and his crew scurried to work. As it turned out, a bolt holding lead weights in his left-side frame rail had broken and a couple pieces of the ballast had tumbled out on the track. Wes Falk saw what was unfolding and alerted his brother's team, prompting the unscheduled stop.
C.E. Falk returned to the track before the green flag waved. Instead of starting on the pole, though, he was now shotgun on the field.
On the start, Greg Edwards, who had assumed the pole position, bolted into the lead with Wes Falk hot on his heels. Edwards' stay at the front lasted little more than a lap as the younger Falk swiped the top spot off Turn 2 on lap 2. On the next circuit, Howard slipped past Edwards for second.
With Wes Falk beginning to ease away, the battle for second reignited on lap 12 when Edwards ducked underneath Howard. He finished off the pass on the backstretch on lap 13, reclaiming second and bringing Lockhart along with him, to third. The shuffle allowed Wes Falk to pad his lead to half a straightaway.
Howard dropped another position on lap 16 as Danny Edwards Jr. moved past for fourth. Six laps later, Howard fell to sixth as C.E. Falk roared into the top five.
On lap 26, C.E. Falk took fourth from Edwards Jr. and quickly closed in on Lockhart and Greg Edwards, who were tussling for second. On lap 30, Lockhart drove under Edwards on the backstretch. As that charge ebbed, Falk poked a fender under Lockhart in Turn 4. A lapped machine loomed in their path, however, forcing everyone back into single-file formation.
Two laps later, on lap 32, there was a virtual replay of the scenario as Lockhart charged forward on the backstretch, only to leave an opening for Falk in Turn 4. Once again, lapped traffic came into play.
That wasn't the case on lap 33, though, as Lockhart overtook Edwards for second. C.E. Falk tagged along and grabbed the third spot. Three laps later, the runner-up position changed hands as Falk bypassed Lockhart and set off after his brother, who was a straightaway ahead.
Steadily chipping away at the margin, C.E. Falk pulled up on Wes Falk's rear bumper on lap 52. Exiting Turn 4, he drove low and completed his back-to-front jaunt by taking the lead in Turn 2 on lap 53. Just two laps later, he had already opened a four-length advantage.
The first caution flag of the nightcap appeared on lap 61 when Jeremy Grogg spun on the backstretch. Lining up for the restart, Danny Edwards Jr. and Wyatt headed for the outside lane, giving up the fourth and sixth spots, respectively.
Back under green, C.E. Falk broke free at the start/finish line. Behind him, Edwards Jr. took the measure of Wes Falk and launched a bid for second. The battle nearly overheated on lap 62 when Lockhart joined the party, briefly making it three-wide through Turns 3 and 4.
While Wes Falk, Edwards Jr. and Lockhart quickly settled their differences, trouble broke out behind them on lap 63 as Carroll, Wyatt and Gibbs locked horns in Turn 4, bringing out the second yellow flag.
As the field slowed, C.E. Falk maintained the lead, while Edwards Jr. had come away with second. Wes Falk was third, followed by Lockhart and Greg Edwards. Gathering for a restart, Wes Falk broke ranks and pulled up on his brother's outside flank. He was joined by Gibbs, Howard and Wyatt.
As the race resumed, C.E. Falk cleared his brother as they reached Turn 1. Hanging tough on the outside, Wes Falk nosed ahead of Edwards Jr. for second, but surrendered the position on the next lap. The duel allowed C.E. Falk to extend his lead to half a straightaway, while Wes Falk fell into the clutches of Gibbs, who was looking to take over third.
The third, and final, caution flag waved on lap 68 when Carroll, Wyatt and Grogg tangled and spun in Turn 2.
Gathering for an all-out sprint to the finish, Wes Falk again chose the outside lane, joined by Lockhart and Carroll.
Under green for the last time, C.E. Falk pulled away, while Danny Edwards Jr. and Wes Falk faced off for second. Edwards Jr. won that scuffle and set sail, while Lockhart zeroed in on Wes Falk, taking over third on lap 70. A lap later, Gibbs also slipped by Wes Falk, who was suddenly sliding back in the running order.
Although they didn't know it at the time, the key move of the race came on lap 73 when Lockhart went after Edwards Jr. for second in Turns 3 and 4. Edwards Jr. eked out a slim lead as they returned to the flagstand, but he wasn't as fortunate on lap 74 as Lockhart powered ahead on the backstretch.
At the checkers, C.E. Falk was the apparent winner by half a straightaway. His elation was short-lived, however, as his #40 machine came up light in the post-race inspection. Reportedly, he was underweight by an amount that was very much in line with the weight of the lead blocks that he had lost prior to the initial green flag.
With Falk's disqualification, Lockhart was awarded his second victory of the season. Danny Edwards Jr. was second in the official rundown, followed by Gibbs, Wes Falk and Greg Edwards.
Carroll was sixth, followed by Howard, Jeff Shiflett, Wyatt and J.T. Jackson. The top 10 drivers were all on the lead lap at the end.
In the series standings, Wes Falk trimmed two points from Greg Edwards lead and now trails by 20, 336-316. The division is slated for a 150-lapper next Saturday, Aug. 25, and will complete their 2012 schedule with Twin 50s on Saturday, Sept. 15.

In the evening's other feature events:

Shawn Balluzzo posted his sixth and seventh victories of the season, sweeping Twin 30s for the KeesVacations.com Modifieds. The wins, coupled with Mike Rudy's misfortune, vaulted Balluzzo back atop the division standings.
Balluzzo, the defending Mod champ, earned the pole for the first 30-lapper, clocking in at 85.063 mph. Robbie Babb was second-fastest, only one-thousandth of a second off Balluzzo's pace. Cameron Patrick, Anthony Kincaid and Rudy, the points leader coming into the event, rounded out the top five on the grid.
As the first race got going, Balluzzo and Babb dueled side-by-side with Balluzzo pulling ahead as they motored down the backstretch for the first time. Babb settled into second, followed by Patrick, Rudy and Kincaid, who had to fight off a challenge from Matt Slye to hang onto fifth.
On lap 3, Rudy slipped past Patrick at the end of the back straightaway to take over third. Kincaid followed in Rudy's tire tracks, then went after Rudy on lap 4, swiping third on lap 5. While positions changed hands in his mirror, Balluzzo fashioned a five-length lead over Babb, who enjoyed a similar advantage over Kincaid.
The running order at the head of the field remained fairly stable until just past the halfway mark when Kincaid and Rudy closed in on Babb. Before they could go after the runner-up spot, though, Kincaid and Rudy tangled briefly in Turn 2 on lap 19. While Kincaid came away unscathed, Rudy immediately fell off the pace.
After dropping a lap to the leader, Rudy finally ground to a halt in Turn 2 on lap 21, bringing out the first caution flag. He visited the pits for repairs and rejoined the field for the ensuing restart.
Back under green, Balluzzo beat back a challenge from Kincaid, who had restarted on the outside, and pulled away to a five-length lead. Kincaid, though, was able to slip in line ahead of Babb, taking over second place.
The second, and final, caution flag appeared on lap 28 when Tommy Spencer looped his car in Turn 2.
For the last restart, with three to go, Babb, Slye, Danny Harrell, Tanner Rumburg and Spencer headed to the outside lane.
As the race-ending dash commenced, Balluzzo powered ahead of Babb through Turns 1 and 2. Babb did gain a bit of revenge, though, as he swiped second back from Kincaid.
At the finish, Balluzzo was the winner by 0.452-second about three lengths over Babb. Kincaid was third, while Patrick and Slye completed the top five.
Rudy lucky-dogged his way back onto the lead lap for the final restart, but could only manage a 10th-place result. Just like that, the four-point lead he had over Balluzzo at the beginning of the night had turned into a five-point deficit.
The finishing order from Race #1 served as the starting lineup for Race #2, putting Balluzzo and Babb back on the front row and the two proceeded to hold down the top two spots for the first eight laps of the nightcap.
On a restart, at lap 9, Patrick, launching from the outside, got the better of Babb and took over second place. A lap later, Babb and Rudy, who had made effective use of the outside lane to advance his position, double-teamed Patrick. Babb regained second, while Rudy grabbed third. Behind them, Kincaid was beginning to struggle, losing spots to Slye and Russ Ellis to slide out of the top five.
At the front, Balluzzo maintained a comfortable lead over Babb, who had a mirror-full of Rudy.
The last of the race's three yellow flags waved on lap 20 when Patrick pounded the outside wall off Turn 2. Preparing for what would turn out to be the final restart, Rudy pulled to the outside of Balluzzo, joined up top by Slye, Ellis, Harrell and Kincaid.
Back under green, Balluzzo quickly drove away, leaving Babb and Rudy to duel for second. Babb led by a nose on lap 20, but Rudy battled back on the high side, clearing Babb on lap 24. As they scuffled, Balluzzo opened a six-length margin.
With just six laps to go, Rudy faced a steep climb to get to the leader. He gave it a good shot, though, rallying in the closing circuits.
When the checkers flew, though, Rudy's charge had come up just shy as Balluzzo held on to win by 0.307-second a little more than a car-length. Babb tailed Balluzzo and Rudy to the line, in third, followed by Rumburg and Ellis.
In the standings, Balluzzo now holds a six-point lead over Rudy, 299-293.

Back behind the wheel of his primary #8 car for the first time since June 2, Ricky Derrick rolled to his fourth win of the year in the 40-lap Pepsi Grand Stock race.
Robbie Parker set the fast time in qualifying, at 78.029 mph. Unfortunately for him, though, he dialed up a "6" on the inversion wheel and dropped to the outside of Row 3. Mark Frye, Derrick, Mark Claar, Tommy Sweeney and Michael Waters occupied spots 1-5, respectively, in the reconstituted lineup.
As the race got under way, Frye and Derrick battled door-to-door with Frye nosing ahead to lead lap 1. He cleared Derrick on lap 2 and brought Claar along with him, dropping Derrick to third. Derrick regained the runner-up position on lap 10, while Frye widened his lead to five lengths.
The first caution flag was unfurled for a two-car incident in Turn 4 on lap 14. Gathering for a restart, fifth-place Sweeney gave up his place in line to pull alongside Frye. He was joined on the top side by Paul Lubno, Jamie Sample, Brandon Hinson, Waters, Chris Spangler and Joe Britt.
Returning to green, the field made it nearly to Turn 2 before trouble broke out again as Parker got into Claar's rear bumper, turning him sideways. By the time the smoke cleared, nearly half of the 18 starters had been swept up in the melee. Forced to the sidelines for the night were Parker, Carl Livingston, Spangler and David Seed.
After a red-flag delay for cleanup, the race resumed and Jamie Sample, who had restarted to the outside of Frye, nosed out front to lead for the first time. Frye reclaimed the top spot on lap 15, though, and Derrick followed his cue, dispensing with Sample on lap 16.
The third, and final, caution flag flew on lap 17 when Rodney Boyd spun in Turn 2. After staying in line on the first two restarts, Derrick broke ranks as the field bunched for restart #3. Sweeney, who came into the event with a one-point leader over Derrick in the standings, joined his fellow title contender on the outside, along with Lubno and Billy Newman.
Back under green, Derrick bolted ahead of Frye as they reached Turn 1. Sweeney followed him through, taking over second, while Frye slipped to third. Behind them, Claar was on the move, taking fourth from Sample on lap 20. Two laps later, Lubno scooted by Sample for fifth.
On lap 28, Frye regained the second spot from Sweeney in Turn 4, while Claar closed in. The exchange allowed Derrick to extend his lead to half a straightaway. Five laps later, Claar snagged the third spot, pulling ahead of Sweeney off Turn 4.
Sweeney slid back another position on lap 35 when Lubno moved around for fourth. He reclaimed the spot on lap 38, though.
Meanwhile, at the head of the procession, Derrick was on cruise control, winning by 1.470 seconds nearly half a straightaway over Frye. Claar, who saw his three-race winning streak come to a halt, was third, followed by Sweeney and Lubno.
With the win, Derrick, the defending Grand Stock champ, has moved back to first in the points rundown, two ahead of Sweeney, 235-233.

In the 40-lap Heritage Motor Co. Super Street feature, Dale Parro grabbed the lead from pole-sitter Ryan Nester on lap 10 and stormed to his first win of the season.
Nester, the 11 champ, was the fast qualifier for Saturday's race, at 73.675 mph. Points leader Renno Marchetti IV was second-quickest, followed by Parro, John Pereira and Jordan Wood.
On the start, Nester leaped ahead of Marchetti off Turn 2 to take the early lead. Parro moved up second, while Pereira took over third. Marchetti fell in line in fourth, but soon gave way to the #10 car, originally identified as Ritchie German, but, in fact, Chris Roberts. More on that in a bit.
The only caution flag flew on lap 4 when Marchetti tried to retake fourth from Roberts and ended up as the meat in a three-wide sandwich with Roberts and Rod Busitzky, who climbed over his left-front fender. Marchetti was able to continue, but his right-front tire was leaning in at a precarious angle.
Back under green, Nester, Parro and Pereira broke free with Roberts in tow. Roberts took a look under Pereira on lap 6, but was rebuffed.
At the front, Parro took aim at Nester and began pecking away at his rear bumper. The pressure paid off on lap 10 as Parro drove under and past Nester on the backstretch to take the lead. Returning to the start/finish line, Parro was greeted by the flagman, who was shaking a rolled-up black flag at him as a warning.
By lap 24, Parro had extended his lead over Nester to better than half a straightaway. Nester tried to close the gap over the remaining circuits and he was moderately successful. He ran out of laps, though, falling four lengths short at the checkers as Parro won by 0.769-second.
Pereira tailed Parro and Nester to the line, in third, followed by Roberts. After the race, however, when Roberts was identified as the driver, it turned out that he didn't hold a current NASCAR license, so he was stricken from the rundown. Jordan Wood and Thomas Wilson were fourth and fifth, respectively, in the amended rundown, while Marchetti white-knuckled his way to sixth.
Roberts ouster from the finishing order was of little comfort to Marchetti, who saw his division lead over Pereira shrink from eight to five points, 220-215.
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